How global youth are driving meaningful change against AMR

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is considered to be a “silent pandemic” and plagues communities across the world in different ways. As the working group, we launched our Youth Manifesto for the United Nations High-Level Meeting on AMR in 2024, where we identified our top priorities, including: 

1. Advocacy and engagement  
2. Education and capacity-building 
3. Patient care  
4. Addressing AMR with a One-Health approach 

To combat the issues faced by AMR, the youth group recognises the need to educate and engage young people of various ages, enabling them to grasp the concept and the severity of AMR.

With this in mind, we created “Oh-No! Leslie got Malaria!”, a storybook about a young girl who contracts malaria and is prescribed antiparasitic medication by her doctor, which did not work due to drug resistance that captured the minds of young children. The goal of the storybook was to raise awareness and ensure that people appreciate the importance of diagnostics, the correct prescription of medication, and proper medication use. The published storybook is now available in English, Arabic, Romanian, and Spanish and has been promoted and read to children in various countries. 

To raise awareness on AMR at a global level, our group has embarked on the creation of short videos to showcase how AMR can affect anyone and how our daily actions can increase the risk of contracting various diseases. The short videos to be soon released aim to encourage good hygiene practices in everyday activities to avoid potential risks of diseases and having to be prescribed antimicrobials. In addition to that, we produced a concise, in-depth video on AMR, “Save Lives: Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance”, shot during our second in-person meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, in September 2024.

The World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) is a key moment of the year for the group and for AMR activists around the world. Considering the immense number of activities ongoing from various organisations, we created a Youth WAAW events database which would ensure individuals are up to date with all ongoing events during WAAW week so that they will not miss any. The database is continuously updated and will be updated with WAAW events for 2025.

As veterinarians, we face similar challenges as our colleagues in other medical professions, as there is the continuous misuse of antimicrobials in animals, and there has been difficulty in achieving owner compliance worldwide, which stems from poor knowledge and a lack of consistent guidance. In some countries, due to the lack of drug options available, there is a greater risk of AMR developing in both human and animal patients. In veterinary medicine, there is still the use of antimicrobials in animals without consultation with veterinarians, especially on farms. This is a crucial issue to face, as animals improperly treated with antimicrobials may enter the food chains and create an even greater challenge to human health. 

As veterinarians and members of the Quadripartite Youth Working Group, we had the opportunity to collaborate with youth leaders from diverse regions and disciplines, fostering meaningful networks and partnerships. Together, we organised an ever-growing community that created spaces for dialogue, knowledge-sharing, and engagement with global experts. Through our joint efforts, we amplified youth voices in policy discussions, contributed to capacity-building initiatives, and strengthened cross-sector collaboration on critical issues such as One Health and antimicrobial resistance. Being part of this group has allowed us to grow collectively while empowering the next generation of One Health advocates. Join us in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.